SC sees Six Months of Progress after Hurricane Irma

Six months after the remnants of Hurricane Irma blew through South Carolina, the state is well on the road to recovery with repairs to 99 public works projects for which the state may receive up to $17 million in FEMA grant funding. High winds and heavy rains from the storm caused damage to all counties in the state and the Catawba Indian Nation on Sept. 6-13, 2017. President Trump issued an emergency declaration on Sept. 7, 2018, followed by a major disaster declaration on Oct. 16, 2017, authorizing Public Assistance grant funding to state, local and tribal governments. Nineteen counties received aid for debris clearance, emergency protective measures, and repairs to bridges, roads, buildings, equipment, parks and other recreational facilities, and utilities. The remaining 27 South Carolina counties and the Catawba Indian Nation were eligible for funding for emergency protective measures to eliminate threats to lives, public health and safety. All counties in the state can also receive Hazard Mitigation Grant funds to help provide more resilient infrastructure against future storms. “Working together, the state of South Carolina and FEMA are getting communities the help they need to recover and be stronger and more resilient,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Warren J. Riley. “We are at this point in the recovery from Hurricane Irma and the previous years’ disasters thanks to the hard work of our county emergency managers, the local government recovery specialists and our state agency partners working as one team to help South Carolina’s residents,” said S.C. Emergency Management Division Director Kim Stenson. The 19 counties eligible for the full Public Assistance program are Abbeville, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Edgefield, Georgetown, Hampton, Jasper, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens and Saluda. Information about the disaster recovery operations is available at: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4346 or the South Carolina Emergency Management Division at http://scemd.org/. FEMA’s mission is to support citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.